The Coalition for Natural Health

Congratulations to the Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition

Congratulations to the Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition for the passage of Senate Bill 189—Freedom of Access Act—introduced and passed by Senator Sharon Weston-Broome, D-14. The bill allows practitioners who recommend the usage of or the sale of dietary supplements, food, or homeopathic remedies in conjunction with a consultation for a fee to disclose information, such as name, address, and education and training. Many thanks go out to Cynthia Reed and her colleagues for all of their hard work.

The Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition took steps in 2006 to build upon last year’s success when they passed Senate Bill 189. Senator Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge stepped up to the plate and introduced Senate Bill 451, a bill to broaden the scope of last year’s act by including lifestyle modifications. Although Senate Bill 451 passed the legislature and was signed by the Governor, it contained a few last second amendments with which the Coalition is not completely enamored. However, for the time being, in the name of good faith, we at the Coalition will tolerate the amendments and will monitor the interpretation and enforcement of these provisions.

Health Freedom Laws—As California Goes, So Goes the Country

Link to California SB 577

The crowning achievement of our work in 2002, without question, was the passage of Senate Bill 577. We were proud to work with the California Health Freedom Coalition to pass this law, which pro-actively ensures that natural therapies remain in the public domain in California—the seventh largest economy in the world. As a result, not only will natural healers and their clients in California enjoy the benefits of health freedom immediately, but also a precedent has been set for the rest of the country.

What does this law accomplish? In plain language, SB 577 exempts complementary and alternative health practitioners from California’s “Medical Practices’ Act.” In other words, as long as we don’t, among other things, perform surgery, prescribe drugs, recommend that our clients discontinue the use of previously prescribed treatments, or hold ourselves out as licensed physicians, we can offer our healing services to the public without fear of being prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license.

Senator John Burton-D, from District 3 in San Francisco, introduced SB 577 on April 19, 2001, and he has done a masterful job shepherding the bill through the legislative process. CNH has teamed up with the California Health Freedom Coalition to lobby for passage of the bill. Earlier this year the bill passed out of the Senate unanimously, and on August 15, 2002, the bill passed out of the Assembly by a vote of 69-0. The bill must go back to the Senate for formal concurrence on the Assembly amendments before it goes to the Governor.

The bill carves out an exemption for “complementary and alternative practitioners” from the California Medical Practices’ Act by allowing complementary and alternative (CAM) practitioners to offer their services provided they do not conduct surgery, administer X-rays, prescribe legend drugs, recommend the discontinuance of legend drugs, willfully cause or create risk of bodily harm or injury, set fractures, treat lacerations or abrasions through electrotherapy, or hold oneself out as a licensed physician. In addition, the bill requires that all CAM practitioners must disclose to all clients in plain language that the client understands that the CAM practitioner is not a licensed physician, the nature of the services, and the practitioner’s educational and training experience. Finally, the CAM practitioner must obtain a written acknowledgement from the client that the client received the disclosure, and the acknowledgement must be kept on file for three years.

CNH Passes Nation’s Second Health Freedom Law

Link to Rhode Island HB 6719

CNH capped a four-year campaign with passage of House bill 6719, the Unlicensed Health Care Practices Act, in Rhode Island on June 15, 2002. Patterned after the health freedom law CNH helped pass in Minnesota, the new law makes freedom of access to health care a fundamental right for the citizens of Rhode Island. The bill was sponsored by Representative Arthur Corvese-D, North Providence, and was passed with the able assistance of Chairman John Celona-D, North Providence of the Senate Corporations committee.

HB 6719 creates a three-way partnership between consumers, practitioners and the state. Consumers must approve, in writing, all services to be performed. Practitioners must disclose all items in the “Bill of Rights,” and the State of Rhode Island has oversight authority. The bill has 5 important components:

• It defines “Unlicensed Health Care Practices” as 20 different therapies commonly used to complement conventional allopathic interventions.

• It defines what “Unlicensed Health Care Practices” is not—namely, it does not include diagnosing and treating disease, performing surgery, or prescribing, administering or dispensing legend drugs.

• It requires “Unlicensed Health Care Practitioners” to provide each client a “Bill of Rights” disclosing education and training, services to be provided, fees to be charged, name, address, and the telephone number of the Department of Health where complaints can be filed.

• It requires the Department of Health to handle client complaints and to invoke disciplinary measures on practitioners who fail to follow the law.

• It requires the client to sign a disclosure statement that all parts of the “Bill of Rights” have been provided to the client before any services begin.

Congratulations Minnesota!

The Minnesota Natural Health Coalition has worked diligently since 1995 for the successful passage of a natural health freedom act. CNH is proud to have worked with the Minnesota Coalition in this effort. And we all saw our efforts come full circle this year, when the “Complementary and Alternative Health Freedom of Access Act (Statue 146A)” was passed in the House (110 yea; 23 no) and the Senate (58 yea; 1 no) and signed by Governor Jesse Ventura on May 11, 2000. All measures will become effective in July 2001.

What does it do?
The Act gives 22 examples of complementary and alternative health care practices such as naturopathy, homeopathy, and herbalism, etc. More importantly, the Act exempts these practices from the practice of medicine, enabling traditional naturopaths and other alternative practitioners to operate without fear of prosecution.

The law mandates that all practitioners be required to present each client with a Client Bill of Rights before services are provided. This document must include 17 items of information before treatment begins. This information includes the address and telephone number of the office in the Health Department taking complaints; and the name, complementary and alternative health care title, business address and telephone number of the practitioner; the degrees, training, experience or other qualifications of the practitioner, etc. The Client Bill of Rights also must include this disclosure in bold letters:

The State of Minnesota has not adopted any educational and training standards for unlicensed complementary and alternative health care practitioners. This statement of credentials is for information purposes only.

How did it come about?
The effort began when CNH helped mobilize a Minnesota grassroots coalition to defend against bills that would have created a monopolistic “naturopathic medical” licensing act. As an alternative, the Minnesota Natural Health Coalition, with CNH support, began work on a true natural health freedom bill. Starting in 1995 with a one-page piece of legislation, five drafts of the freedom legislation were expanded and reworded to answer specific concerns of various groups. The final version was introduced in February 1999. Over a 12-month period, amendments were made to the act that required the adoption of language similar to a pre-existing Minnesota Statute for unlicensed mental health care practitioners and the jurisdictional move from the Board of Medical Practice to the Department of Health. Between February 1999 and February 2000 these modifications were made through a series of hearings, and a grassroots effort swung into high gear. The bill moved with little resistance through both chambers and hurdled the last concern—financing of the new Health Department office for ethical complaints—by piggybacking Senator Sheila Kiscaden’s health occupations bill.

This effort would not have been successful without the support of bold and dedicated legislators including Rep. Steve Smith-R, Mound; Rep. Lynda Boudreau-R, Faribault; Sen. Twyla King-D, North Branch, and Sen. Sheila Kiscaden-R, Rochester. Above all, the numerous individuals who called, visited, wrote and expressed their support of this bill are the true heroes. Without the groundswell of support this bill could easily have been stalemated or swallowed up by opponents. Instead, we are now facing the most security we’ve had as natural health practitioners in years. Let’s work hard to keep it!

Source: MN Natural Health Legal Reform Project, “The Vision,” May 2000

| Naturopathy Map|




		Congratulations to the Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition Congratulations to the Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition for the passage of Senate Bill 189—Freedom of Access Act—introduced and passed by Senator Sharon Weston-Broome, D-14. The bill allows practitioners who recommend the usage of or the sale of dietary supplements, food, or homeopathic remedies in conjunction with a consultation for a fee to disclose information, such as name, address, and education and training. Many thanks go out to Cynthia Reed and her colleagues for all of their hard work. The Louisiana Health Freedom Coalition took steps in 2006 to build upon last year’s success when they passed Senate Bill 189. Senator Sharon Weston Broome of Baton Rouge stepped up to the plate and introduced Senate Bill 451, a bill to broaden the scope of last year’s act by including lifestyle modifications. Although Senate Bill 451 passed the legislature and was signed by the Governor, it contained a few last second amendments with which the Coalition is not completely enamored. However, for the time being, in the name of good faith, we at the Coalition will tolerate the amendments and will monitor the interpretation and enforcement of these provisions. Health Freedom Laws—As California Goes, So Goes the Country Link to California SB 577 The crowning achievement of our work in 2002, without question, was the passage of Senate Bill 577. We were proud to work with the California Health Freedom Coalition to pass this law, which pro-actively ensures that natural therapies remain in the public domain in California—the seventh largest economy in the world. As a result, not only will natural healers and their clients in California enjoy the benefits of health freedom immediately, but also a precedent has been set for the rest of the country. What does this law accomplish? In plain language, SB 577 exempts complementary and alternative health practitioners from California’s “Medical Practices’ Act.” In other words, as long as we don’t, among other things, perform surgery, prescribe drugs, recommend that our clients discontinue the use of previously prescribed treatments, or hold ourselves out as licensed physicians, we can offer our healing services to the public without fear of being prosecuted for practicing medicine without a license. Senator John Burton-D, from District 3 in San Francisco, introduced SB 577 on April 19, 2001, and he has done a masterful job shepherding the bill through the legislative process. CNH has teamed up with the California Health Freedom Coalition to lobby for passage of the bill. Earlier this year the bill passed out of the Senate unanimously, and on August 15, 2002, the bill passed out of the Assembly by a vote of 69-0. The bill must go back to the Senate for formal concurrence on the Assembly amendments before it goes to the Governor. The bill carves out an exemption for “complementary and alternative practitioners” from the California Medical Practices’ Act by allowing complementary and alternative (CAM) practitioners to offer their services provided they do not conduct surgery, administer X-rays, prescribe legend drugs, recommend the discontinuance of legend drugs, willfully cause or create risk of bodily harm or injury, set fractures, treat lacerations or abrasions through electrotherapy, or hold oneself out as a licensed physician. In addition, the bill requires that all CAM practitioners must disclose to all clients in plain language that the client understands that the CAM practitioner is not a licensed physician, the nature of the services, and the practitioner’s educational and training experience. Finally, the CAM practitioner must obtain a written acknowledgement from the client that the client received the disclosure, and the acknowledgement must be kept on file for three years. CNH Passes Nation’s Second Health Freedom Law Link to Rhode Island HB 6719 CNH capped a four-year campaign with passage of House bill 6719, the Unlicensed Health Care Practices Act, in Rhode Island on June 15, 2002. Patterned after the health freedom law CNH helped pass in Minnesota, the new law makes freedom of access to health care a fundamental right for the citizens of Rhode Island. The bill was sponsored by Representative Arthur Corvese-D, North Providence, and was passed with the able assistance of Chairman John Celona-D, North Providence of the Senate Corporations committee. HB 6719 creates a three-way partnership between consumers, practitioners and the state. Consumers must approve, in writing, all services to be performed. Practitioners must disclose all items in the “Bill of Rights,” and the State of Rhode Island has oversight authority. The bill has 5 important components: • It defines “Unlicensed Health Care Practices” as 20 different therapies commonly used to complement conventional allopathic interventions. • It defines what “Unlicensed Health Care Practices” is not—namely, it does not include diagnosing and treating disease, performing surgery, or prescribing, administering or dispensing legend drugs. • It requires “Unlicensed Health Care Practitioners” to provide each client a “Bill of Rights” disclosing education and training, services to be provided, fees to be charged, name, address, and the telephone number of the Department of Health where complaints can be filed. • It requires the Department of Health to handle client complaints and to invoke disciplinary measures on practitioners who fail to follow the law. • It requires the client to sign a disclosure statement that all parts of the “Bill of Rights” have been provided to the client before any services begin. Congratulations Minnesota! The Minnesota Natural Health Coalition has worked diligently since 1995 for the successful passage of a natural health freedom act. CNH is proud to have worked with the Minnesota Coalition in this effort. And we all saw our efforts come full circle this year, when the “Complementary and Alternative Health Freedom of Access Act (Statue 146A)” was passed in the House (110 yea; 23 no) and the Senate (58 yea; 1 no) and signed by Governor Jesse Ventura on May 11, 2000. All measures will become effective in July 2001. What does it do? The Act gives 22 examples of complementary and alternative health care practices such as naturopathy, homeopathy, and herbalism, etc. More importantly, the Act exempts these practices from the practice of medicine, enabling traditional naturopaths and other alternative practitioners to operate without fear of prosecution. The law mandates that all practitioners be required to present each client with a Client Bill of Rights before services are provided. This document must include 17 items of information before treatment begins. This information includes the address and telephone number of the office in the Health Department taking complaints; and the name, complementary and alternative health care title, business address and telephone number of the practitioner; the degrees, training, experience or other qualifications of the practitioner, etc. The Client Bill of Rights also must include this disclosure in bold letters: The State of Minnesota has not adopted any educational and training standards for unlicensed complementary and alternative health care practitioners. This statement of credentials is for information purposes only. How did it come about? The effort began when CNH helped mobilize a Minnesota grassroots coalition to defend against bills that would have created a monopolistic “naturopathic medical” licensing act. As an alternative, the Minnesota Natural Health Coalition, with CNH support, began work on a true natural health freedom bill. Starting in 1995 with a one-page piece of legislation, five drafts of the freedom legislation were expanded and reworded to answer specific concerns of various groups. The final version was introduced in February 1999. Over a 12-month period, amendments were made to the act that required the adoption of language similar to a pre-existing Minnesota Statute for unlicensed mental health care practitioners and the jurisdictional move from the Board of Medical Practice to the Department of Health. Between February 1999 and February 2000 these modifications were made through a series of hearings, and a grassroots effort swung into high gear. The bill moved with little resistance through both chambers and hurdled the last concern—financing of the new Health Department office for ethical complaints—by piggybacking Senator Sheila Kiscaden’s health occupations bill. This effort would not have been successful without the support of bold and dedicated legislators including Rep. Steve Smith-R, Mound; Rep. Lynda Boudreau-R, Faribault; Sen. Twyla King-D, North Branch, and Sen. Sheila Kiscaden-R, Rochester. Above all, the numerous individuals who called, visited, wrote and expressed their support of this bill are the true heroes. Without the groundswell of support this bill could easily have been stalemated or swallowed up by opponents. Instead, we are now facing the most security we’ve had as natural health practitioners in years. Let’s work hard to keep it! Source: MN Natural Health Legal Reform Project, “The Vision,” May 2000 \| Naturopathy Map\|
		© Copyright 2007 Coalition for Natural Health